📢 Please take a minute to read this personal message from the creator of RailwayModels.uk

Sonic Models S4102-01

LB&SCR K Class 2-6-0 LBSC Black No.341 Red Lining Steam Locomotive

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs

Prototype Era
Era 2 (1875 to 1923) Pre-grouping

Manufacturer description

Available Exclusively from Rails of Sheffield

Please Note: LB&SCR K Class will now include red lining and be numbered 341 rather than the previously described unlined and numbered 346

History

The LBSCR Engineer Lawson Billinton in 1912 designed a new powerful goods locomotive that coped with heavy loads at speed. No 337 appeared the following year (1913) and by 1921 a total of 17 had been constructed at Brighton works. They proved to be very successful providing invaluable support during WW1 when very large freight movements were required.

The locomotives also coped well with passenger services providing a good all-round service to the railway. Billinton was not afraid to improve the steaming characteristics to help reduce coal running costs and the design innovations included an additional dome and top feed. This feature was improved and the last seven locomotives left Brighton works including this feature which lasted through to the end of the 1920’s before all were modified back to one dome.

More would have been built but for the fact that the LBSCR was merged into the larger SR in 1923 and the new company appointed a new Engineer Richard. E. L. Maunsell. He favoured his own N and U class designs so no more K Class locomotives were built.

In the 1930’s Maunsell improved the cab design and lowered the height as well as the dome and chimney to operate to the composite loading gauge.

Under BR ownership only minor changes were made. Removal of the LHS Weir Water Heaters in the early 1950’s and later modifications to the tender to include water treatment. Interestingly at the end of all their working lives the N and U designs cost far more to maintain with serious design faults in the frames and cylinders.

The K Class design proved reliable right to the end. One locomotive No 32353 was offered to the Bluebell Railway for preservation but unfortunately the society was struggling in 1962/3 to raise money to buy the track and infrastructure and could not afford the extra expense. (It is surprising the locomotive was not offered to the National Collection)

Specification

• The tooling covers detail prototypical original and later body and tender details: Chimneys, domes, cabs, safety valves, Westinghouse pump, Water heater,
  
• AWS equipment and lamp/disc detail bracket variations. 
  
• Heavy Die cast firebox, boiler and smokebox to aid traction.
  
• Models overall assembled weight, 330 grammes.
  
• Smooth 12V powerful motor with flywheel
  
• Easy access to 21 pin DCC decoder socket mounted in the tender.
  
• Factory fitted DCC sound sugar cube speaker inside the tender.
  
• Loco/tender linkage fully adjustable to suit users track radii.
  
• Electrical pick-up via all six driving and tender wheels.
  
• Full cab detail.
  
• Illuminated firebox.
  
• Detailed inner linkage under boiler and frames.
  
• NEM couplings and hand assembled detailing parts three link couplings.
  
• Fireman shovel and firebox tools.
  
• Packed in a strong outer box and mounted on a secure moulded transit plate to minimise damage in transit.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

^* Class names often change over the lifespan of a locomotive, so this is not necessarily the class name used by the operator in the period modelled.

The Sonic Models LBSCR K Class 2-6-0 locomotive is a limited edition model available exclusively from Rails of Sheffield. This model represents the locomotive as it wore the LBSCR's black livery with red lining.

The model is part of the LBSCR K Class series, which was designed by Robert Billinton in 1912. The locomotive was designed to haul heavy goods trains at high speeds and was a successful design that served the LBSCR during the First World War. The K Class locomotives also handled passenger services, providing a reliable and efficient service.

The locomotive's design featured an additional dome and top feed, which improved its steaming characteristics and reduced coal consumption. However, the design was later modified to remove the top feed, and the last seven locomotives built retained the one-dome design.

The K Class locomotives were later modified by Richard Maunsell, the new engineer of the Southern Railway, in the 1930s. The modifications included lowering the height of the cab, dome, and chimney to comply with the composite loading gauge. Under British Railways ownership, only minor changes were made to the locomotives, including the removal of the water heaters and modifications to the tender.

The Sonic Models K Class locomotive features a range of prototype-accurate details, including chimneys, domes, cabs, safety valves, and Westinghouse pumps. The model also includes a heavy die-cast firebox, boiler, and smokebox to improve traction. The model has a smooth 12V motor with a flywheel and features easy access to the 21-pin DCC decoder socket in the tender. The model also features a factory-fitted DCC sound system and a range of detailed parts, including a fireman's shovel and firebox tools.